Blue Apple Books available for the first time in eBook format at Kobo.com

TORONTO, March 27, 2014 – Kobo, a global leader in eReading, today announced it has signed an agreement with children’s book publisher Blue Apple Books to make available select titles for the first time in eBook format at Kobo.com. Nearly 20 bestselling Blue Apple Books titles are available to millions of people worldwide exclusively through Kobo for six months. Readers can now enjoy books such as Bear in Underwear, Lucy Rescued, and How the Meteorite Got to the Museum, with more titles to be added. These beautifully illustrated, colourful picture books are ideal to encourage families to read and enjoy entertaining stories together.

“We are thrilled to be bringing these beloved Blue Apple books and series to our most passionate readers,” said Antonia Fowler, Merchandiser, Children’s Books, Kobo. “These titles are a great addition to our growing catalogue of kids’ books. These stories are perfect to get parents and kids reading together, and to instill a love of reading in children at a young age.”

“We’re very excited to be working with Kobo to offer our first-ever collection of ebooks,” said Kip Jacobson, Director of Operations, Blue Apple Books. “Kobo’s dedication to working with independent publishers and independent booksellers inspired us to choose them for this exclusive offer. Also, their collection of state-of-the art devices ensures that our digital books are displayed in the manner intended by the authors and artists.”

The Kobo’s Kids Store, which offer nearly 100,000 titles, makes it easier to find the next great book for children and young adult Readers, with the latest bestselling series, Read Along books, and colourful picture-books. Kobo offers parents the ability to set up dedicated accounts for their kids so that they can safely explore the amazing books within the Kobo eBookstore. Kobo gives parents the ability to set spending allowances for their kids, pre-select eBooks, and adjust search settings to keep their kids reading safely. Parents can also set reading goals for kids and track their progress with engaging reading stats – all features designed to make eReading an educational, fun, and friendly experience. The dedicated Kids’ Store is currently available in North America.

About Blue Apple Books

Launched in 2003, Blue Apple Books has been cited by Publishers Weekly as one of the country’s

fastest-growing small presses. Blue Apple publishes 40 titles per year for children under the age of ten. High-profile titles include New York Times bestseller Broadway Barks by Bernadette Peters, ALA Notable selection Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan Shea and illustrated by Tom Slaughter, Jessie Hartland’s Museum series, books by DwellStudio, and Deborah Zemke’s popular Doodles for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner placemat series, which boasts over 700,000 copies sold.

About Kobo Inc.

Kobo Inc. is one of the world’s fastest-growing eReading services offering more than 4-million eBooks and magazines to millions of customers in 190 countries. Believing that consumers should have the freedom to read any book on any device, Kobo provides consumers with a choice when reading. Kobo offers an eReader for everyone with a wide variety of E Ink eReaders and Google-Certified Android tablets to suit any Reader’s style including the award-winning Kobo Touch™, Kobo Mini, Kobo Glo, Kobo Aura, Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Arc, Kobo Arc 7, Kobo Arc 7HD, and Kobo Arc 10HD. Along with the company’s free top-ranking eReading apps for Apple®, BlackBerry®, Android®, and Windows®, Kobo ensures the next great read is just a page-turn away. Headquartered in Toronto and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten, Kobo eReaders can be found in major retail chains around the world. For more information, visit www.kobo.com.